What You Don't Know
by Zaqhirix Cheshire
Summary: He was sleeping soundly in her lap, passed out the minute the car started. Sam stroked his fiery hair softly. "They just don't understand you like I do." Valerie shook her head. "I don't know how you can stand to be in a twenty mile radius around him," she scoffed. Sam simply shrugged as her gaze never wavered. "It's my job." (DxS, pre-PP)
1. Chapter 1

She felt very alone in limbo.

At least, that's what she thought was limbo; she definitely knew she was dead. She could still feel the burn of the explosive Nasty Burger sauce sting on her cheek. If she still had a cheek.

It was boring in limbo. Unable to move, speak, hear, smell, and with limited vision...all she could do was float. She didn't know how long she was stuck in this empty, white world. For all she knew, the world could've ended and she wouldn't have known.

"You're quite right, Miss Manson."

She forced herself to try and move towards the voice with all her might. Thankfully, somebody did it for her.

As soon as the refreshingly cold hands touched what she thought was her arm, all five senses exploded into activity. She could feel his touch on her wrist. She could hear his solid voice reverberating in her eardrums. She could smell the musty smell of mahogany on his cloak. She could see his ancient, glowing blue-skinned hands clamped onto her, keeping her from floating away.

"Nice to see you again, Clockwork," she rasped.

The master of time smiled warmly. "Hello, Samantha."

"It's-"

"-Sam. I remember now," Clockwork finished. "I see that you've spent a bit of time here in limbotic stasis."

"Oh, yeah. It's been a real party," Sam replied, furrowing her brow.

Clockwork laughed, reverting into his infant form. "Now you know where the boundary between heaven, hell, the Ghost Zone, and Earth lies. Pretty dull, right?" he chuckled fondly. "I'd best bring you back onto your feet before you get motion sickness."

"As much as I appreciate the deed, it's a little late for that," she huffed, and Clockwork steered her back onto solid ground. After several nervous "whoa!"s and getting used to her center of gravity, Sam was able to stand on her own two feet again.

It was then that Sam also realized that she was completely naked.

In front of Clockwork.

A _male_ ghost.

"AIIIIIIIEEEE!" Sam screeched, jumping to cover herself. Clockwork guffawed, morphing into his young adult form.

"Don't worry, Sam. I've seen you naked more times than you've remembered," he reassured.

Sam blanched. "That's not making me feel any better!"

And after a moment: "Ew! You've been stalking me?"

"In retrospect, I technically 'spy' on everyone."

"Weirdo!"

Clockwork respectfully lent Sam his cloak for the time being and led her away from the white clearing of limbo to a quivering figure shrouded in darkness. "We'll be taking our leave now, Abel," he said.

The dark figure known as Abel nodded slowly and stepped out of the way. Behind him loomed a strange, albeit familiar, illuminant green portal.

"You remember our trade?" Abel wheezed.

The master of time nodded. "Her life is halfway in your hands, my friend. She will return when her job is completed."

Sam looked up at Clockwork fervently. _Is he talking about me…?_

Abel gazed at her with cold, golden eyes. "I will see you soon, my dear," he said gruffly, then turned back to disappear in a cloud of smoke. Clockwork waved cheerfully before eagerly pushing Sam into the portal.

Immediately she recognized the long, steel walls and timegears ticking high and low. _Clockwork's hideaway,_ she realized. _Time Tower._

* * *

 **DP ain't belong to me ; ; unfortunately**

 **YAY I FINALLY WAS ABLE TO POST THIS *dies of overfangirling***

 **I've wanted to do a Dan x Sam fic for months now, and finally inspiration hit me and life was complete. :) I have high hopes for this one, but I'm terrible at romances...~_~ I'll do my best for you guys**

 **Abel will be back -v- and with a very important part too. Any guesses on who he is?**

 **Also, please pray for my sister Fang! She's going through a rough physical moment in her life and we should be there to back her up :) Please wish her well**

 **Hope you enjoyed,**

 **-Cheshire**


	2. Chapter 2

**Lots and lots of dialogue, but explains most of what's going on :) DP doesn't belong to me**

* * *

"What's going on, Clockwork?" Sam asked, turning back to the now elderly form of the time master. "Why am I here? Am I still dead? How long have I been dead? Why did you take me from limbo?"

Clockwork raised his hands to silence her. "One at a time, Sam."

Sam took a deep breath and wrapped the cloak around her tightly. "Okay. Tell me how I died."

He nodded solemnly. "I'm surprised you're even aware of your passing. Most ghosts don't realize they died until they do something drastic to get it through their heads."

"So I _am_ a ghost…" she mused.

Clockwork shook his head. "Abel-or who you may commonly know as Death-released you into my care. As of now, you're alive and well."

Sam's eyes widened and she rubbed her fingertips together. She realized that they weren't glowing an ectoplasmic aura.

The time master cleared his throat, regaining her attention.

"As you may remember, your friend Danny cheated on the CATs. This created a butterfly effect to lead up to the Fentons', Mr. Foley's, Mr. Lancer's, and your deaths by explosion via the flammable Nasty Burger sauce."

Sam nodded; this was all simply a review of what she remembered currently. "So what happened after that? Where's Tucker and the Fentons and Lancer? How's Danny?"

Clockwork continued, "The victims of the explosion were immediately sent to their rightful places in heaven. However, I held you back for a specific purpose-one concerning your only living best friend."

Things were finally getting the ball rolling. "What do you want me for?" she asked.

"To possibly set this wrecked timeline straight."

Clockwork's now childlike hands clasped onto his rod firmly. "You see, after the great Amity tragedy occured, Danny fell in a deep depression. Orphaned and friendless, he was put into the care of what you may call his 'archnemesis'-Vlad Masters."

Sam scowled. "That selfish, cheeseheaded, egocentric fruitloop…"

Clockwork smirked, but made no commentary on her statement. "Vlad tried his best to maintain mental balance in his newfound 'son'-" He used eccentric finger quotes to phrase this, "-and ended up coming up with the most stupid solution ever imagined to help Danny." He turned and shook his head in disgust. "Removing his human half."

Sam's jaw dropped. "But...that's so...so _STUPID!"_ she yelled, fuming. If it were possible for steam to literally blow out of her ears, now would be the time.

"That's what I said!" Clockwork seethed agreeably, stomping his staff on the floor angrily. Regaining his composure, he continued (although with occasional eye-rolling whenever he mentioned Vlad).

"Phantom, no longer bound by the morals that held his rage back as a human, went on a murderous rampage against Fenton and Masters. After ending both of them, he joined with the unhosted ghost half Plasmius to stabilize himself." Clockwork's eyes shifted uncomfortably. Sam sensed that this was the part that he would've liked to avoid, if given the option.

"The new Dark Phantom was...mentally unstable. The addition of Plasmius' evil heart bore no help, and eventually broke way to the tipping era of Phantom's new form...known currently as Dan Phantom."

Sam went pale. If this was only the beginning of the new, evil Danny...who knew what he could do if left to his own devices.

For some reason, she felt like she knew this name, as if from an alternate universe. But she flicked the thought away as a train of simple thought.

"And that's where you come in."

Her head snapped up in alarm. " _What?"_

Clockwork looked fixedly out an empty timehole. "I made a deal with the Observants in an effort to save your timeline. In that deal, I would revive you as a human once more and would task you with taming the beast known as Phantom."

"No!"

Clockwork stared at her with disbelieving eyes.

"I-I mean, it's not that I don't _want_ to save Danny…" Sam sputtered. "But it sounded like you're dealing me with subduing a _murderer_...I can't do that."

"I know it's a risky bargain, but-"

"I won't-I _can't_ do it!"

The master of time's expression hardened. "Are you saying that you are too _afraid_ to save your friend? The one who finally accepted you as a normal member of society? The one who was there in your hardest life moments? The one who accepted your feelings for him? The one who risked his life every day to protect your hometown from ghosts? _Like you?_ "

Sam's mind reeled. This was asking too much. This whole thing was too much. She needed a break...to mourn over herself and her friends. To mourn over Danny.

"You had your break spending _five years_ drifting in _limbo!_ " Clockwork bellowed. "Are you really going to leave your friend to _die_ in his own cage of _insanity?_ "

"N-no!" Sam cried, determination fortifying in her glare. "No."

Clockwork's gaze deemed satisfaction. "Will you save Phantom?"

Sam inhaled sharply. This was the ultimate choice. Say yes, and risk dying again, maybe at the hands of one of the most important people in her life. Say no, and spend another lifetime of guilt and regret for not taking action in protecting Danny when he needed it the most.

"I'll do it."


	3. Chapter 3

**DP doesn't belong to me ; ; whyyyy, Butch _**

 **Clockwork and Sam father-daughter time ^^ I love this ghostly friendship, seriously.**

* * *

Twenty-four hours straightaway from planning what action to take place as soon as Sam landed back in Amity Park, she was suited up and ready to go.

"I'm not putting you in a false identity around others," Clockwork said. "I'm supplying you with a fake ID and driver's licence to keep the government and others from suspecting you, but you must tell your living friends and family about your revival."

"Do I tell them what I'm supposed to do here?"

"If you believe that they can aid you in your mission, yes. I can tell you as a fact that Valerie Gray and Wes Weston are very much alive, so do try and reach out to them as soon as possible."

"What about money and living spaces?"

"Although you still think you're fourteen, in actuality you have aged to nineteen years in age. You are eligible to rent or buy your own apartment. I will aide you in finances and be labeled as your supporter while you go to 'college'."

"Any backstory for my fake ID?"

"If anyone asks, make a backstory up. Remember to keep it realistic and straight to the point. Don't forget it."

"Got it. Anything else?"

Clockwork floated down to pat Sam's shoulder. "Be safe," he said warmly. "This timeline is counting on you."

"You mean _you're_ counting on me," Sam chuckled. Clockwork smiled undeniably.

"Try to make Phantom reminisce what he had with you. He's unstable, but still has memories. Break his walls down and you may have a very powerful ally."

Sam nodded. It wouldn't be easy, but it was worth it.

"He won't be the same Danny you knew. Even if it seems like it, the old him is gone," Clockwork added. "A sad truth, but a truth all the same."

Sam dipped her head, wincing. She hefted her surprisingly lightweight duffel bag over her shoulder and jogged to the portal leading to Amity Park.

"Oh, and Sam?" Clockwork called. Sam peered over her shoulder at him.

"I'm proud of you."

With a wide smile, she jumped.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you so much all of the follows and favorites! :) And a special thanks to The Bloodless for reviewing ^^ support like you makes my day a bajillion times better...have a ghostly whale! *chucks ghostly whale at chu* :3 thanks again!**

 **I haven't been able to go on as much as before, sorry ~_~ but I'll try to update as much as I can. I'm so in the Halloween mood right now... ._. *raids Party City* And because of so much Sam-Clocky dialogue in the previous chapters, I have written thee the amazingness known as...OTHER DIALOGUE! *dunt dunt dunt***

 **Enjoy! ^0^**

* * *

How had it come to this?

Wes sprinted to cover behind a brick wall, a loud _boom!_ popping his ears and making them ring.

Once upon a time, life had actually been _great_ compared to this. He was living the life of an honor roll student in Casper High, 70% of his class wasn't dead and ghost attacks weren't half as lethal as they were now. Sure, they existed, but at least there was a one-sided opinion on their ghostly hero, Danny Phantom, who "protected" them from some of the attacks.

Now, it was completely the opposite.

Danny Phantom-or better known as Dan Phantom now-was a tyrant and a killer. He had killed one billion people and desecrated Africa, Europe, and parts of the Netherlands. Of what news Wes had heard of the Ghost Zone, about 77% of the ghost population had decreased and thousands of lairs had been destroyed or eviscerated.

The world was screwed.

Wes knew that it would only be a few weeks-days, more like-that all of Earth would be desecrated. He would never see his family again, even though he could barely find them now. He would never see green grass. He would never have a house, or get married, or have kids of his own. His future would be obliterated.

Because of _him._

 _Why did Manson and Foley have to die._

 _Why did the Fentons have to die._

 _Why did Lancer have to die._

 _Why did this life have to be shot to hell._

Because Fenton-that stupid, stubborn, arrogant _Daniel Fenton_ -didn't tell anybody about his stupid halfa secret and didn't get any stupid help.

Wes wish he had figured it out sooner. Of course, now that he thought about it, he'd caught him in the act of transforming once or twice. He'd been too dumb to understand it though, and played it off as a stunt for a mini movie or something.

 _Stupid Fen-_

"Kid! Get out of the way!"

Suddenly, Wes was sailing into a brick wall, covering his neck at the last second. An ectoplasmic implosion seared away all solid matter where he was formerly standing. Blearily trying to see who had thrown him out of the way, Wes saw that his former classmate and world's most successful ghost hunter Valerie Gray had shot him away.

"What was that for?" Wes snapped.

Valerie's eyes were stone cold. "Saving your life. Get back in the Amity safezone. Phantom's out again."

As if on cue, a chillingly loud scream echoed several meters away.

Valerie jumped off her board and shoved Wes into an empty car. "Stay hidden!" she hissed, and soared away.

 _Boom._

 _Boom._

 _Whir._

"Why hello there, Valerie."

The ghost hunter cocked her blaster with a fierce glint in her eyes. "Hey there, scum."

Dan smirked and laughed with a vicious hiss. "What bold words you have there! I remember the days when you used to _like_ me." He turned his head and chuckled for a moment. "But I do remember when you would hunt me for sport as well, so…"

Valerie's mouth curled into a snarl. Dan's fist glowed an eerie emerald.

"I think it's my turn to hunt _you._ "

* * *

 **Blame Tumblr for Wes Weston. As cliche as this is, #poorwes**


	5. Chapter 5

**Happy Ectober (and Halloween), guys! ^^ Hope you enjoy this chapter. Has a bit of swearing, but depends on what you call swearing. :P But major fight scene, yay ~(-v-)~**

 **DP doesn't belong to me ;^; [yet]**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

" _GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_ "

Sam's head snapped up. Who-

Her question was immediately answered for her as a sudden explosion blew up to her left, blowing out her eardrums. Sam's ears rang with a dull _ping_ as she huddled behind a broken-down apartment building.

"Well," she muttered, "I'm not in Kansas anymore."

A bright red flash caught her eye before it was enveloped in a familiar neon green burst. _Ectoplasm_ , Sam thought. _Vlad…?_

 _No,_ she decided. _Vlad's ecto-ray is pink. Red-either Freakshow, Valerie, or some other ghost._

A sudden _GAH!_ cried out before another beryl blaze bulleted past.

"It's Valerie," Sam concluded.

Peering behind the corner, she watched as a woman in a bright scarlet suit catapulted into a deserted café; floating in front of the Red Huntress was a flaming, green-skinned, broad ghost that emanated sheer power. His monochrome cape sailed in the harsh wind as his red eyes danced in humor.

"Given up yet, Val?" he snickered. Valerie woundedly struggled back up. Sam winced as she heard her friend's ribs crack painfully.

"Not on y-your afterlife, ghost," she growled. An animalistic glint shone in her eyes; Sam recognized it as the simple will to survive.

The ghost-who she assumed was Danny ( _No_ , she reminded herself. _Dan._ )-laughed at the sight of the broken ghost hunter. "Isn't it sad how in the span of a couple years-" He paused to think for a moment. "Months." Some more thoughts. " _Days..._ that you spiral down into this pathetic-"

Kick to Valerie's side.

"Insignificant."

A blow to her stomach.

"Idiotic."

Another collision. Another pained groan.

"Worthless waste of life."

One more kick to Valerie's side sent her into a bloody heap on the concrete.

Sam went deathly pale when she realized that Valerie wasn't moving.

Dan smirked, twisting on his heel and walking away. As soon as Sam knew Dan was out of view, she dashed towards Valerie's broken form and immediately checked for a pulse.

 _Bumpbump. Bumpbump. Bumpbump._

Sam felt lightheaded from relief. She was alive, thank God.

Valerie's finger twitched, creaking towards a button on her gloved palm. She struggled to press it down, the effort making her grimace. Sam held open Valerie's palm and pressed the button for her. Immediately it flashed a luminous verdigris.

The Red Huntress's eyes opened slowly, trying to make out who her aide was. Her green eyes widened as she recognized who she was.

"S-Sam…?!" she stuttered weakly, trying to shift herself up. Sam laid her back down again and ripped apart her shirt sleeve, wrapping her injuries and tucking it in as bandages through her armor.

"Don't talk. He might hear you," Sam whispered, slowly trying to drag Valerie into a nearby alley.

"S-Sam...de-ead…" Valerie stuttered, reaching to touch Sam's face. She swatted Val's hand away gently and chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm alive. You can ask questions later-let's get you out of here before anything else happens," Sam replied, and Valerie attempted to twitch her head in a specific direction.

"Ba...ckup," the huntress breathed, and Sam looked back down the way Dan had left.

"Backup? Where? Who?" she asked. Maybe this was someone else she knew-maybe a ghost?

"C-coming…" Valerie whispered, and went still. Sam hissed through her teeth as she wondered if Val had just died in her arms. Thankfully, the slight rising of her chest didn't confirm her thoughts.

Sam hauled her behind a large piece of torn up cement, peering through a crack. "Who's…"

 _"DAAAAN!_ "

A huge explosion of green blew them all back; a guttural cry echoed throughout the destroyed city. Sam saw her former friend zoom out of the way, crimson eyes flaring. "Nice to see you too, Danielle," Dan called, and a sudden memory plowed through Sam's brain.

 _Danielle was Danny's clone, right? Vlad's...daughter?_

But there was no time to think about that now. Either Sam and Valerie got out of the firefight or the Phantoms would do it for them.

"I'M GONNA KICK YOUR SORRY ASS!"

"Calm it down, 'cous!"

"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I GIVE A CRAP?"

The halfa clone's eyes were blazing as she took Dan's cape and smashed him into the ground. Dan struggled back up again, a crater formed where he impacted. He returned her hits with wince-worthy blows that made Sam want to look away.

Sam lugged Val farther away from the danger; they'd probably end up running all the way back to any sort of living civilization, but Sam wanted to see what would happen.

Dani zoomed upwards, spinning 360° midair and hurtled back down to land a gravity-ladden kick to Dan's chest. Instead, he grabbed her foot and swung her into a worn-down building. "Do you seriously think you're _any_ match for me?" Dan taunted, walking over to her and crushing her with a bone shattering punch. "You are _me._ Anything you can do, I can do a _hella_ lot better."

Danielle rolled away and sprung back to her feet, but was noticeably less energetic than before. She shot an ecto-blast at Dan, but he flicked it away like a fly. "As much as I love this little family reunion," Dan sneered, "I have people to kill, places to destroy. You're kind of boring to fight, anyway. So let me finish this, since you're too stubborn to end it for me."

And with that, he inhaled deeply, then…

Wailed.


	6. Chapter 6

**I am so incredibly sorry for disappearing again, but I have a valid excuse this time! :D Teachers cramming tests/homework in before winter break -3-**

 **Also, DP CAME BACK TO NICKELODEON HOLY CRAP RERUNS ARE BACK I CAN'T EVEN**

 ***ahem* back to FF business**

 **Enjoy! ^^**

 **-Cheshire**

* * *

 _Agh, I'm dead again, aren't I._

That familiar floating, empty feeling was enveloping her again. Thankfully, Sam could actually remember what happened to her this time.

Danny- _Dan_ -had done the ghostly wail on her and Valerie. And she had died-at least, she thought so.

 _Valerie!_ she thought suddenly. _Is she okay? Did I protect her? Is she still alive?_

 _ **Calm down, Sam.**_

All of her warning bells rang throughout her alarm-filled brain.

 _ **No, I'm not some mystical voice that might throw you into the loony bin. I'm your conscience.**_

If Sam could relievedly sigh in limbo, this would be that time.

 _Oh thank God. I thought you were, like, Clockwork or something._

 _ **Ouch, my heart. Who said I wasn't Clockwork?**_

 _Well, you use conjunctions._

 _ **Mm, clever.**_

 _So, conscience. What brings you to this lovely residence today?_

 _ **I'm here to jumpstart your brain because you're sitting in the middle of an apocalypse-riddled road with a dying ghost hunter in your arms.**_

 _Right. Work can never be easy, now could it._

 _ **Exactly. Now,**_ **Samantha,** _**get up.**_

 _You did not just go there._

 _ **Oh, yes I did. Stand. Up. Or you'll actually die.**_

 _Can I just devolve back into a three year old and ask, "Why can't you do it?"_

 _ **Because I don't have the physical control of your brain to make you move. Now, JUST. DO IT. MAKE. YOUR DREAMS. COME TRUE.**_

And all at once, the world came back into focus.

Flashes of green zoomed in and out of Sam's vision, snapping her eyes back and forth. They were like tiny orbs just orbiting around the room...how interesting.

"Oh, you're awake."

Sam's eyes flicked to her right, and she turned to face the voice. She immediately stopped and groaned as a painful crack sent her right back to her original position.

"Yeah, you might not want to move right now," Danielle said cheerily, shifting Sam back on the couch comfortably. "You broke a couple ribs back there. Thankfully, I was able to get you back to our house before that _cretin_ could do anything worse."

"Our?" Sam muttered.

Danielle nodded. "Valerie and I are apartment buddies now. We're back in Amity Park, in an apartment connected to the former Axion Labs. Mr. Gray really remodeled the place, didn't he?" she chatted, fixing her ponytail.

"Uh-huh…" Sam looked around, her amethyst eyes catching the ceiling again. "And those?"

Danielle chuckled. "I like to practice my levitating once in awhile," she explained. "It keeps me from looking outside."

"What...happened?"

The clone leaned in on her chair, her expression hardening somewhat. "I think I reserve the right to be asking the questions here," she said, voice low. "Now, you're going to tell me who you are, what you're doing here, and why you look and sound exactly like Sam Manson."


	7. Chapter 7

**GUESS WHO'S BACK :D**

 **I have no excuse this time, unfortunately...I'm sorreh ;^; I originally was thinking of this as a filler, but decided against it because who doesn't like Dani and Sam bonding time, seriously. But I swear, actual Dan x Sam will happen! In...one to two chapters or so ~v~**

 **DP doesn't belong to me *sobs***

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Cheshire**

* * *

It was about four in the morning when Danielle finally accepted that Sam was no clone and the real, actual, living, breathing Samantha Manson.

"Wow," she breathed. "Wow. Wow. Wow."

"Wow indeed," Sam grumbled. "Can we sleep now?"

Dani collapsed on a couch pillow. "I'd love to, since I'm about ready to phase off my clothes and forget this ever happened."

"Speaking of which, where's Valerie?"

The clone rolled her shoulder, loosening up her muscles. "I put her in the med bay, below this room. It's more of a basement with stretchers and medical supplies, really. She'll come up when she's ready," Dani chuckled.

Sam stood up and stretched, walking over to a drawer and pulling out random t-shirts to use as pajamas for the Phantom clone. Digging through her own duffel bag, she decided to strike a bargain. "I'll give you this Fullmetal Alchemist shirt if you let me keep the Pink Floyd," she said, and Dani shrugged.

"I honestly don't care, as long as you don't take _my_ Fullmetal Alchemist shirt with Alphonse the bae."

"Pink Floyd it is!"

The two girls quickly got dressed, and Danielle slowly crept to the worn windowsill and closed the blinds. "What's that for?" Sam whispered. The clone put a finger to her lips before creeping back to her.

"We never know when that... _thing's_ gonna come," she replied. "Don't want him thinking we're here. Best to keep any ecto-weapons off for the night too, just in case." Nodding, Sam powered down her Fenton Thermos and lipstick blaster.

"Does he scare you?"

Danielle froze. "Who scares me?"

Sam's eyes were downcast. "Does...Dan scare you?" she repeated.

The clone tensed, frowning for a second. After a moment, she sighed heavily. "Not really. I mean, I know it's selfish but...I'm more afraid of myself."

Sam blinked. "...How?"

Dani twisted the hem of her shirt nervously. "I'm scared of myself more than him because...well, I'm afraid that I'll become just like him. That I'll turn evil and kill thousands of people...and countless ghosts. I've...I've had nightmares of seeing myself like him...flaming hair and green skin. Fangs like Vlad's."

She paused to rest her forehead on her palm. "He's destroyed everything, Sam," Dani mumbled, her voice trembling. "The Ghost Zone, the Living Realm….everything's gone."

Sam's amethyst eyes were wide with recognition. She saw the fear and resentment flickering in the younger's glowing green orbs. "I know it's repetitive and wouldn't make a difference, but...I'm sorry."

"What's there to be sorry for?" Danielle sneered. "You were dead ten hours ago. Nothing _you_ of all people could do about it." She opened a tall wardrobe sitting in the corner and pulled out a futon. "Grabbed this in Japan before the world got shot to hell. It should still be comfy." She tossed it to the goth, who caught the thin white mattress before it dropped on the dusty carpet.

"I'll lay this out right here?"

"Yeah, anywhere by the couch is fine. I'm gonna go do some security checks, round the area before midnight. Sleep well, because you've got an early morning tomorrow," Danielle said, laying a set of pillows and a blanket by the futon.

Sam rolled out the blanket and buried herself in the pillow. "Don't stay up too late, Dani."

"Sure, Mom," the clone chuckled. "Good night."

"Good night."

And the lights flickered off.


End file.
